1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new method and apparatus for catalytic dehydrogenation. More particularly the invention relates to a process suitable for the dehydrogenation and aromatization of alkylcyclohexane or a polycyclic compound in which a reaction inhibitor develops during dehydrogenation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, various methods of catalytic dehydrogenation have been employed in the chemical industry. For instance, a liquid-phase dehydrogenation reaction utilizing a fixed bed or suspensoid bed is known; and the fixed bed process has been adapted for gaseous-phase dehydrogenation, and has been widely utilized.
Chemical or mechanical methods are generally used to remove the inhibitor of the dehydrogenation reaction, particularly when dehydrogenation is accomplished by a catalytic reaction, and when the substances responsible for the inhibition are present in the starting material.
To deal with the formation of an inhibiting substance (including the reaction product of the dehydrogenation) during the dehydrogenation reaction process, it is known to conduct an operation that alters the catalyst controlling method or to become severely the reaction conditions.
In the prior art methods the inhibitor of the dehydrogenation reaction and the dehydrogenation reaction product are removed in separate processes. However, none of the state-of-the-art methods and devices is capable of removing the inhibitor from the starting materials being reacted inside the dehydrogenation reaction chamber, nor of efficiently the removing the inhibitor and of refining and separating the reaction product within the dehydrogenation reaction system.